Hinge for eyeglass frame



Nov. 12, 1963 F. c. URICH 3,110,057

HINGE FOR EYEGLASS FRAME Filed Sept. 8, 1961 INV EN TOR.

FREDEE\Q\ CLLJQuzH rflgys BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,110,057 IWGE FOR EYEGLASS FRAIVE Frederick C. Uriah, Sangre Grande, Trinidad, West Indies Filed Sept. 8, 1961, Ser. No. 136,889 2 Claims. (Cl. 16-142) piece has three, the rings being alternately positioned for mating, and through these is inserted a hinge comprising a screw threaded into the bottom ring. In this arrangement, the retention of the screw and the frictional resistance to turning both depend on the tightness of engagement of the screw. Thus, in order to ensure retention of the screw it is necessary to tighten it to a degree incompatible with the desired ease of swing, and it is a direct consequence that swinging of the parts soon loosens the screw. As a result, replacement of screws has been a commonplace occurrence.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to overcome the afore-stated difficulties. More particularly, it is an object to provide a hinge in which screwthread mounting of the pin is avoided. A still further object is to provide a hinge in which the securement of the pin is divorced from the resistance to swinging movement. It is also among the objects to simplify the action of assembling hinge units, to lower the cost and provide for easy manufacture.

These and other ends, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are attained by the present invention, which may be briefly described as comprising a hinge having interlocking rings, the top one of which has a socket receiving a headed portion of a pin in a snap action, and the rings being outwardly corrugated to coact with bars carried by their counterpart rings to provide intermittent resistance to swinging movement.

For a more detailed description of the invention, reference is made to the following specification, as illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view, in perspective, of a portion of a pair of eyeglasses in the region of one of the hinges,

FIGURE 2 is an exploded View, in perspective, and enlarged, of the hinge of FIGURE 1,

FlG-URE 3 is a sectional view, enlarged, taken on the line 3-4: of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the device in FIGURE 1, showing the parts in folded position,

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view through the hinge, taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, there is shown a portion of an eyeglass assembly comprising a lens 10 mounted in a frame 12, to which is articulated an ear piece, or temple piece 14, by means of a hinge unit, indicated as a Whole by the numeral 16.

The hinge unit is conventional to the extent that it comprises two interlocking ring systems journalling a common hinge pin or pintle. As seen in FIGURE 2, the hinge parts comprise a front plate 18 with spaced, coaxial, journal rings 20, 22, and a side plate 24, with spaced, coaxial journal rings 26, 2%, 3d. The spacing is such that the two rings 20, 22 are snugly receivable in the spaces between ring pairs 2628 and 23- 9, and the rings are retained in intermeshed relation by a common hinge pin 32, with a main shank of a diameter to be 3,1 lfifi S'? Patented Nov. 12, 1963 "ice snugly received in the openings of the rings. In attachment, hinge plate 18 is embedded in a recess in lens mounting l2, and has a pair of openings 82, receiving rivets 34, carried on a plate 36 on the front side of mounting 12. Similarly, plate 24 is embedded in ear piece 14, and has openings 38 receiving rivets 44 carried by an outer plate 42.

The hinge pin or pintle 32 is retained by a ball and socket arrangement, which is best seen in FlGURE 5. Thus, pin 32, near its top, has a bulbous collar 44- of arcuate profile, which is received in a mating socket 46, formed by an arcuate, annular channel in the wall of the bore of top hinge ring 25. If the pin is of metal the ring 26 will have a peripheral slot 48 to permit expansion of the socket to receive the collar 44, when the hinge pin is press-fitted in place, or removed. However, it the hinge is of suitable deformable plastic, and the curvature of the ball and socket is small, the slot may not be necessary. Although not strictly required, the pin may have an upper headed portion 543, which will serve to keep foreign matter out, and may be of assistance in prying the pin out.

To provide resistance to turning of the hinged parts, the hinge rings have external corrugations 5'2, aligned in the respective rings of each component of the hinge. To provide the resistance, rings 20, 22 are provided with an axially parallel bar 54 located so as to be contacted by the corrugations on rings 26, 2S, 3% of the other hinge component. Preferably, these are wedge-shaped in crosssection, with the sharp end 55 inward. Similarly, rings 26, 28, 3%} may also have a bar 56 with inner edge 57 contacting the corrugations on rings 20, 2-2. However, one set of corrugations and the coacting bar may be dispensed with. Upon swinging of the parts on the hinge, it will be seen that the movement is intermittently resisted by the bars 54, 56 slipping between the corrugations, and the resistance is overcome only by application of a definite, predetermined force. Thus, the parts will not flop around loosely, and when folded will remain folded until deliberately opened. It will be understood that other forms of rugosity than the particular corrugations shown, and other stop means than the rods may be employed.

Vl/hile a certain preferred embodiment has been shown, and described various modifications will be found to be possible, and feasible, and will be obvious in the light of this disclosure, and the invention should not, therefore, be deemed as limited except insofar as shall appear from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An opthalrnic hinge assembly comprising a first mounting plate, at least one journal ring carried by and extending transversely from said first plate, a second mounting plate, at least two journal rings carried by and extending transversely from said second plate, with coaxial openings, and spaced apart suficiently to acccommodate the ring of said first plate, in coaxial alignment, one of the rings on said second plate being split, and having an annular channel of curvilinear cross section in the wall of its opening, a pintle snugly received in sliding and rotating engagement in the openings of said rings, and having a collar of curvilinear cross section received in said channel, said rings having corrugations in their peripheral surfaces, parallel to the common axis of the rings, and a rod carried within a set of aligned corrugations of the rings in each of the respective plates, arranged parallel to the said common axis, to provide a pair of yieldable detents, cooperating with the corrugations, to resist swinging movement of the hinge.

2. An opthalmic hinge assembly comprising a first mounting plate, at least one journal ring carried by and extending transversely from said first plate, a second mounting plate, at least two journal rings carried by and extending transversely from said second plate, with coaxial openings, and spaced apart sufiiciently to accommodate the ring of said first plate, in coaxial alignment, one of the rings on said second plate having an annular channel in the wall of its opening, a pintle of plastic material received in sliding and rotating engagement in the openings of said rings, and having a collar received in said channel, said rings having corrugations in their peripheral surfaces, parallel to the common axis of the rings, and a rod carried Within a set of aligned corrugations of the rings in each of the respective plates, arranged parallel to the said connnon axis, to provide a pair of yieldable detents cooperating, with the corrugations, to resist swinging movement of the hinge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 28, 

1. AN OPTHALMIC HINGE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FIRST MOUNTING PLATE, AT LEAST ONE JOURNAL RING CARRIED BY AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY FROM SAID FIRST PLATE, A SECOND MOUNTING PLATE, AT LEAST TWO JOURNAL RINGS CARRIED BY AND EXTENDING TRANVERSELY FROM SAID SECOND PLATE, WITH COAXIAL OPENINGS, AND SPACED APART SUFFICIENTLY TO ACCOMMODATE THE RING OF SAID FIRST PLATE, IN COAXIAL ALIGNMENT, ONE OF THE RINGS ON SAID SECOND PLATE BEING SPLIT, AND HAVING AN ANNULAR CHANNEL OF CURVILINEAR CROSS SECTION IN THE WALL OF ITS OPENING, A PINTLE SNUGLY RECEIVED IN SLIDING AND ROTATING ENGAGEMENT IN THE OPENINGS OF SAID RINGS, AND HAVING A COLLAR OF CURVILINEAR CROSS SECTION RECEIVED IN SAID CHANNEL, SAID RING HAVING CORRUGATIONS IN THEIR PERIPHERAL SURFACES, PARALLEL TO THE COMMON AXIS OF THE RINGS, AND A ROD CARRIED WITHIN A SET OF ALIGNED CORRUGATIONS OF THE RINGS IN EACH OF THE RESPECTIVE PLATES, ARRANGED PARALLEL TO THE SAID COMMON AXIS, TO PROVIDE A PAIR OF YIELDABLE DETENTS, COOPERATING WITH THE CORRUGATIONS TO RESIST SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE HINGE. 